As the sun dipped below the horizon in Loudoun County, Virginia, Officer Tina Hernandez of Loudoun County Animal Services (LCAS) answered an urgent after-hours call. Locals had spotted a massive bird hanging helplessly from a tree.
When Hernandez arrived, her heart sank. Suspended 25 feet in the air by a strand of fishing line was a full-grown bald eagle — his wing twisted, his body dangling, and the light fading fast.
“He was panicking whenever we tried to climb up the ladder,” Hernandez told The Dodo. “Most eagle rescues I’ve done were on the ground. I think this was the first one I’ve ever seen hanging like that.”
Knowing she couldn’t do it alone, Hernandez called in reinforcements. Soon, Chief Chris Brosan arrived with a ladder, tree trimmers, a blanket, and a net. Together, under the cover of night, they carefully inched closer to the distressed eagle.
Finally, after tense maneuvering, Brosan cut the fishing line, and Hernandez managed to catch the thrashing bird in her net and blanket.
“He was too big for even our largest cat carriers,” Hernandez said. “We just kept him covered. Even exhausted, he was still feisty and incredibly strong — those talons and that beak are no joke.”
With the eagle secured in an LCAS vehicle equipped with oversized cages, officers rushed him to Kristi’s Caring Hands Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education, run by wildlife rehabilitator Kristi Titus.
“When I first examined him, I knew I couldn’t provide everything he needed,” Titus said. At dawn, she arranged for the eagle to be transported to the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center for specialized medical care.
There, vets discovered the eagle had a severely swollen wing and a “droop,” where one wing sagged lower than the other. Worse, blood tests revealed lead poisoning, a common but dangerous threat to raptors. He immediately began chelation therapy to remove the toxins, along with anti-inflammatory treatment for his injured wing.
Weeks later, the once-dangling eagle is recovering steadily — thanks to a village of rescuers who refused to give up on him. Hernandez, who still checks in regularly, is eagerly awaiting the day he can fly free again.
“He’s kind of like a neighbor of ours,” she said. “When he’s ready to go, we’ll release him right back where he belongs — just down the road from the shelter. We’re planning to make it a field trip for everyone.”
From a perilous midnight rescue to the promise of freedom, this eagle’s journey is a reminder of the power of teamwork — and the wild resilience of one of America’s most iconic birds.
To learn more about LCAS’ Humane Law Enforcement team, visit their website. You can also support Kristi’s Caring Hands Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education on Facebook.
